H O W D O T U R T L E S B R E AT H E ?

An exploration of the process of respiration, the interesting ways that turtle respiration differs from
other vertebrates, and the conservation implications of respiration for aquatic turtles.

MAY 2020
 WHAT IS RESPIRATION?
Before we get too excited about turtles, let’s
talk about respiration.

What is it?
Hey look, it’s a Golden Coin Turtle from Hong Kong!

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

RESPIRATION AND BREATHING

• Cellular respiration is a set of

chemical reactions that happen in
animal cells that convert oxygen
and nutrients into energy and
create water and carbon dioxide as
byproducts.
• Breathing is the method used by
some animals to exchange the
oxygen used in cellular respiration
for the carbon dioxide that is
produced.
• The whole point is to create energy!

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 ALL ANIMALS (AND PLANTS TOO!) RESPIRE, BUT THEY
HAVE DIFFERENT METHODS FOR ABSORBING OXYGEN.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 HUMANS HAVE LUNGS

• Humans use lungs to breathe.

• We take in air through our mouths,
and it goes into the lungs where
oxygen is absorbed into the
bloodstream and into our cells.
• Carbon dioxide is released from the
cells into our blood stream, back into
our lungs and then out into the
environment.
• We have a small muscle called a
diaphragm that regulates our
breathing.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 FISH HAVE GILLS

• Fish take in water through their

mouths and wash it over their gills.
• The gills are filled with capillaries
that absorb oxygen and release
carbon dioxide.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 FROGS CAN BREATHE TWO
WAYS!

• Frogs can breathe like many other

vertebrates, with their lungs.
• But they can also absorb oxygen
from water through their skin! Frog
skin is covered in a mucus to stay
moist, and the capillaries in the skin
help absorb oxygen from the
surrounding water.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 Oooh, a Geometric Tortoise from South Africa!

TURTLES MOSTLY BREATHE

WITH LUNGS

• Turtles have lungs to breathe but

they do it a little differently than us.
Their shells don’t allow their
ribcages to expand and contract.
• Instead of a diaphragm, they have
muscles lining the inside of their
shells to help push air in and out.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 OMG a Coahuilan Box Turtle from Mexico!

BUT THEY CAN ALSO BREATHE

WITH…THEIR BUTTS!

• Many aquatic turtles spend long

stretches of time underwater.
• In addition to being able to breathe
with their lungs, they are able to
run water through their cloaca, the
opening under their tails that is
used for excretion, defecation,
reproduction, and in this case,
absorbing oxygen.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 CLOACAL RESPIRATION

• The cloacal opening (1 in the

diagram) allows water into pouches
called the cloacal bursae (2) that are
lined with tiny, finger-like
projections (3) that increase surface
area.
• The cloacal bursae are loaded with
capillaries that absorb oxygen from
the water running through, allowing
the turtles to avoid having to
surface for air for long periods.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 Baby Diamondback Terrapins from New Jersey!

WHAT’S THE POINT?

• Remember, breathing is just the

method for getting oxygen into
cells.
• From there, the oxygen will react
with nutrients to create energy
during cellular respiration.
• Most living things need a regular
supply of food and oxygen to create
energy so they can keep living, and
eventually reproduce.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 A Bolson Tortoise from Mexico! (And one of our land stewards, Don Kiko.)

HOW IS RESPIRATION
IMPORTANT IN TURTLE
CONSERVATION?

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 A Palawan Forest Turtle from…Palawan!

TURTLE CONSERVATION

• All turtles, like all living things, need

clean air to breathe.
• Aquatic turtles have more specialized
needs— the water they live in must
have specific qualities in order for
them to survive, including an
appropriate amount of dissolved
oxygen for them to absorb.
• If waterways are polluted or disturbed,
it can cause turtle populations (along
with fish, amphibian and aquatic
insects) to die off.

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

 They’re releasing the baby Diamondback Terrapins!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Get involved!
• Learn more about the turtle and
tortoise species that live in your
area.
• What habitat do they live in?
• What threats do they face?
• Are there any local groups working
to help them?

COPYRIGHT © TURTLE CONSERVANCY SAVE TURTLES. SAVE THE PLANET.

MORE THAN HALF OF THE TURTLE SPECIES ON THE
P L A N E T A R E T H R E AT E N E D W I T H E X T I N C T I O N

Visit www.turtleconservancy.org to learn more about turtles and how you can help.